ESPN's Bill Barnwell got a good bit of publicity this week in the 49ersphere for his article calling Brock Purdy's contract extension a "disappointment". That would obviously draw a lot of attention from the team's fans. Still, despite that questionable assumption, his piece was actually pretty complimentary of the job general manahger John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have done with the roster in light of all the injuries and turnover.
Recall these men were absolutely ROASTED in the offseason for letting so many big names walk in free agency, so it's somewhat satisfying now to see the national media eat their words. This also prompted me to do a bit of digging into the more noteworthy players lost before the start of this season, see how they've been doing, and try to (subjectively) grade how it's worked out for each team in regard to their current situation and the player's performance. Let the arguments commence!
Deebo Samuel Sr. – Commanders
The biggest name to walk out the door was wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. After a rough 2024, his trade demand was almost a relief for the Niners. On paper, Washington looked like a dream landing spot—fresh off an NFC Championship run and loaded with talent.
Fast forward to 2025: Samuel's bounced back, but the Commanders have face-planted, most recently getting smoked by the Cowboys. Deebo missed that one with a heel issue (49er fans: shocked, right?). Considering last year's chemistry drama, honoring his trade request still feels like the right call—even if he's been solid for them.
- SF Grade: B
- WAS Grade: B+
Talanoa Hufanga - Broncos
This one stings. I haven't caught much Denver action, but their defense keeps popping up on highlight reels—and safety Talanoa Hufanga's always in the frame. He's healthy (huge win), sitting at 45 tackles with a forced fumble, and flirting with a career year. No picks yet, but Denver's pass defense is ranked third, so clearly he's doing work.
If he'd stayed healthy the last few seasons, he'd still be locking down the back end for the Niners. Sure, he had deep-ball issues, but his overall game? Undeniable. Denver's loving life, and while the young safeties in San Francisco are holding their own, none have made it obvious they are ready to hit Hufanga's ceiling. It's still a long season, and the injury bug is always around the corner, but so far, so good for Huf in Denver.
- SF Grade: C+
- DEN Grade: A
Dre Greenlaw – Broncos
The Niners tried hard to keep their wrecking-ball linebacker, but Dre Greenlaw wanted out from Fred Warner's shadow and apparently into Denver's injury tent. After missing most of 2024, he's kept the streak alive: one game played so far. To his credit, he made those 21 snaps count with six tackles in a wild win over the Giants. Then, because Greenlaw never does boring, he earned a one-week suspension for chasing and yelling at an official postgame over some calls (and, honestly, some bizarre behavior). Aggressiveness? Never in doubt. Judgment? Well… let's just say it's a work in progress.
With Warner sidelined for the season, losing Greenlaw stings—but between injuries and mental lapses, this wasn't exactly a front-office blunder. San Francisco is missing him big time now without Warner, but that's assuming he'd be available for the stretch run—no sure thing for Dre.
- SF Grade: B+
- DEN Grade: C-
Jordan Mason - Vikings
The Vikings have had mixed results on the field, thanks largely to a highly unsettled quarterback position (actually felt bad for Wentz yesterday), but running back Jordan Mason has definitely been involved in the offense as the #2 back behind Aaron Jones. Jones had been out due to injury for several weeks, pushing Mason more to the spotlight (he's since returned). Mason's got four touchdowns, already eclipsing his career high, but has been a negligible element in the pass game, as expected.
Fumbles have been a bit of an issue this year, but overall, I'd say the Vikings are thankful to have him. Compared to San Francisco's #2 back, Brian Robinson, he's got a little more pop in the run game. If we see anything out of Robinson or Isaac Guerendo before the end of the year, this could change significantly.
- SF Grade: C+
- MIN Grade: B
Javon Hargrave - Vikings
With the 49ers' battered D-line, having Javon Hargrave even for depth would be a welcome addition. He missed most of 2024 due to injury, but has remained available for Minnesota so far this season. The results on the field have been questionable. A gap-shooting nose tackle, he's been a critical liability in the run game for the Vikings and has attracted double teams that he's struggled to overcome. As a result, he's seeing fewer snaps week over week, getting only 18 of 50 against the Eagles. Not great.
One could argue that, had Hargrave still been with San Francisco—salary implications aside—the opportunity for the younger guys to step up and show out like they have wouldn't have happened. I think this one is a good win for San Francisco.
- SF Grade: B+
- MIN Grade: C
Maliek Collins - Browns
Not as big a name as the previous entries on this list, but defensive tackle Maliek Collins had a solid 2024 campaign for San Francisco, appearing in all 17 games, and he's been extremely solid for the Browns (D-line being a rare bright spot for this squad) since moving in the offseason. He's appeared in all seven games for Cleveland so far, tallied 3.5 sacks from the interior line, and at 310 pounds, he makes it tougher to run between the tackles. This is a piece that was puzzling to see walk in the offseason, and even though the Browns have sucked, Collins is still a productive player.
- SF Grade: D-
- CLE Grade: A
Leonard Floyd – Falcons
We just got to see defensive end Lenoard Floyd lining up for the Falcons, and it appeared that night he still had some gas in the tank. He hasn't produced much on the stat line for Atlanta, 1.5 sacks and eight tackles over six games, but he's been available and active on passing downs. Again, considering the depleted state of San Francisco's defensive line, he'd still be a valuable asset.
- SF Grade: C-
- ATL Grade: B-
Aaron Banks - Packers
Left guard is perhaps the weakest point on San Francisco's offensive line, and Aaron Banks, despite struggling last year, would likely be an upgrade. That said, he signed a massive contract with Green Bay in the offseason and, so far, hasn't done much to repay the Packers for their investment. Suffering a groin injury in week 1, he's been in and out of the lineup.
Green Bay's line is ranked in the bottom half of the league in pass protection, but they've jumped out to a 4-1-1 record regardless. I think it's safe to say the 49ers would prefer to have Banks still in the lineup, but his disappointing 2024, combined with his limited availability in 2025 and a hefty price tag, made it just not worth it to keep him in the fold. Gambling with Ben Bartch and Connor Colby hasn't gone well, but it's possible Banks would still suck, too.
- SF Grade: B
- GB Grade: D
Charvarius Ward - Colts
Cornerback Charvarius Ward's 2024 was a nightmare, with injuries plus the heartbreaking loss of his child, and he made it clear he wanted a fresh start. Indianapolis gave him that, plus a large paycheck, and the Colts have been the Cinderella story at 6-1. Ward, though? Not exactly glass-slipper material. He just hit injured reserve for one of the strangest reasons ever: during warmups, he collided with a teammate who wasn't even part of the drill and picked up his second concussion of the year. As strange as it is to write, the video is even more bizarre.
Ward's a good player and locker-room guy, but production-wise, Indianapolis has gotten crumbs. Meanwhile, the Niners' young secondary is getting by and stacking experience.
- SF Grade: A
- IND Grade: C
Jaylon Moore - Chiefs
Losing Jaylon Moore put the 49ers precariously thin at the tackle position, and it was expected that he'd be stepping in to start for Kansas City on the left side. That didn't happen, and Kansas City has had a very well-paid backup in Moore. He's been put in the starting lineup the last couple of weeks in place of starter Josh Simmons, who's been out with a personal issue. Moore has performed well, allowing only five pressures and one sack as the Chiefs' offense seems to have regained its form.
The 49ers are committed to their starting tackles in Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz, so it remains to be seen how valuable Moore would have been this year. Still, O-line depth is always welcome, and should either of these starters go down, an already leaky pass-protecting unit could get a whole lot worse. Again, given what he was paid, letting him walk was likely the right move. Let's just all pray that Trent stays healthy.
- SF Grade: B
- KC Grade: B
Elijah Mitchell - Chiefs
Prior to the trade for running back Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell seemed like he was well on his way to being San Francisco's top back for several years to come. Not only did that fail to materialize, thanks in part to chronic injury issues, but Shanahan quickly drafted replacements, and Mitchell headed to Kansas City.
It has not gone well.
Kansas City had hoped he'd provide a good change-up to Isiah Pacheco, but he's fallen to 4th on the depth chart and has yet to be active for a game day in 2025. They're hoping to catch a trade partner before the deadline to offload the disappointing back. San Francisco hasn't had much luck with backs behind Robinson, but it doesn't seem like Mitchell would be the answer anyway.
- SF Grade: A
- KC Grade: F